Flood Report, Part 2
I've been pre-occupied lately. Last week a group of us did some fund-raising and came up with over $4,200 for the four people we work with who lost their homes in the flood. My company is doing nothing. In fact, during the flooding, we got an email that literally said, "Buck up and try to focus on your work."People here are very grateful that there was no loss of life during the floods. It was the victims of Katrina paid our tuition for the lessons required to survive so well. We learned from their experience. We learned from their unimaginable losses.
Our communities organized and banded together. Major businesses (other than my souless company) shut down and sent their people home or out to help where help was needed. We had mandatory evacuations. We set up huge animal shelters so no one refused to leave home because they couldn't abandon their pets.
When I look around my town, I see massive damage in so many treasured places, however, I'm very aware that it could have been so much worse.
On the other hand, there have been huge losses that the rest of the world doesn't really know about ... or at least doesn't appreciate. Whole towns are gone forever. Most of them will never be rebuilt. These are little towns where some families have lived for generations.
In these towns, when a person walks into the local diner, everyone knows their name. Seventy-five per cent of the town shows up for the high school football games. They have a Casey's and a Hardees somewhere along Main Street, and that's where most of the high school kids hang out. Seriously, there are still towns like that. But, because of the devastating flooding, some of these multi-generational communities have been completely destroyed. They are gone forever. A few folks might rebuild near one another, but most will scatter to larger nearby towns and cities.
The country mourned Katrina's destruction of the historical landmarks and culture of New Orleans and other parts of the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi. And, of course, we mourned, and still mourn the terrible human losses. However, I hope some folks take the time to empathize with these little midwestern towns. They might not be important to thousands and thousands of people around the world, but their passing deserves recognition. I'm not from a small town, but my heart goes out to the people who loved and lost all that was ever home.
There is so much work to do to recover from these floods. FEMA has been here to help. The president stopped by for a few hours last week. (I suppose it was a good thing to do, but he annoyed me when his motorcade got in my way and made me late for lunch).
Hey, I wonder if any celebrities are going to show up to help.
posted by Theresa @ 6/30/2008 12:22:00 PM
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